Where do you look for new books to read?

[AD1985]

Hello,

I'm a typical college kid that never reads, but I'd like to change that. I want to try to go through at least one book a month. Can someone tell me how they find quality books to read? I am a bit overwhelmed by amazon.com

Thanks

[omegaxx]

I go with the old stuff in my college library. You are paying for that stuff in your tuition. Might as well make the most of it.

[grace86]

There is a great list here of members' ideas of the top ten must read books. We also have a book club where we read one book a month...members nominate authors, so it is a different author/time period/genre every month.

Other than that, I ask people I know who have read a lot, like my dad. Ask people you know who do read, they might have a good place to start. Sometimes I just take a walk around Barnes and Noble, and look what they have out for classics. There are a many number of ways to start reading.

Good luck. And I hope you enjoy your reading.

[Alexei]

Well, I usually get my ideas from such forums, I think that the top ten must be read books is really good for this kind of choosing, so good luck. I hope you shall enjoy your reading.

[liesl]

i tend to just browse my uni library (seeing how i'm expected to spend hours there!) and oxfam book shops - great books at low prices and once you've finished you can either keep or donate back to charity shops

[Niamh]

Everywhere! Ask people, read reviews, go to shops, look through forums, librarys(well not for a long time anyway). I like to look in second hand book shops sometimes you can find a a book that is very good, but that you wont find anywhere else.

[Domer121]

I work right across from a used book store..I go there and usually find them for a buck.... when I don't have an idea of what I want to read the covers get me to look and I usually read the first page and the last word of the book..yes I know I am odd....but that is what works for me

[starbuck]

I usually dont read newly published books. I usally read classic which I havent read or something. But when the mood strikes me I will browes Barnes and Noble or Amazon or talk to friends,etc and see what is good. But in my opinion some of the new rubbish that is out there is just repetition of the classics.

[jimbobsmoothie]

Hiya
I found a web site once it had a list of all the things you should read before u die. I forgot to save it to favorites and have never found it again. (if anyone ever finds it, please let me know, it was broken up into years)

The books that i would recommend to start with are:
Dante's Divine comedy
Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie
Douglas Adams, The hitchiker's guide to the galaxy
James Randi, The mask of Nostradamus
Philip Pullman, His dark materials
Salmon Rushdie's Satanic verses
Mitch Albom, The five people you meet in heaven
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Great stories from history 365 for everyday of the year
Nietzsche, the gay science
Machiavelli, The prince
Yann Martel, Life of Pi
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
Shakespeare, Macbeth

I could go on for pages, but if ur daunted my the mass of books to choose from in a library... Here are some good ones to start with... (In no order

[jimbobsmoothie]

Proof trawling through Google works!!! I found that website. The books you should read before you die.
http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/grtward.html

[andave_ya]

There are two websites that I'd suggest:

www.whichbook.net

this is a website with a bunch of different categories, and you can choose, say, how hard or how easy you want a book to be, how long or short, how sad or happy, beautiful or disgusting...you get the idea.

The second one, slightly easier, is

www.whatshouldireadnext.com

Type in the title and author of a book and it will give you a list of books and summaries that are supposed to be similar to the ones you like.


Hope that helps!

[grace86]

andave, I like your websites! I hope your search is going well AD1985.

[andave_ya]

thanks! research on solutions for people who don't know what to read led me to them. I literally typed in "what should I read next?" and this is what I got!

but I'm afraid I didn't quite catch the AD1985. Is it a special year?

[botkin]

University libraries are wonderful. Just go there and walk between the shelves, pick up anything that catches your interest and give it a fast read, see if you like it. Grab a stack of books, some coffee, and spend a few hours on any couches they may have there.

Used bookstores are also wonderful. =D

[Asa Adams]

I reccomend that you spend some time on this forum. The people here are all very kind and helpful and we can all help you with any sort of question you have about a certain book or poem. So I would do that; pop around the book club, check out the Shakespeare club, The Poem Section, Or maybe even start a thread asking what our favorite book is and why it is, and that may help you find something you are interested in!

Good luck, Ad1985.